MEA Section Officer Recruitment 2026 - Apply Offline for 60 Posts

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), PSP Division, New Delhi has officially released Vacancy Circular No. CDR-II/575/02/2025 dated 22/05/2026 for appointment of 60 Section Officers or equivalent (in Level 8/10 of Pay Matrix) on deputation basis in 20 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) across India. The circular includes complete details on post-wise vacancies, RPO-wise distribution, eligibility criteria, desirable qualifications, age limit, pay & allowances, and application instructions. Eligible Central Government Officers are strongly advised to read the full circular before applying through proper channel. Download MEA Section Officer RPO Deputation 2026 Official Vacancy Circular PDF

A total of 60 vacancies have been announced for the post of Section Officer or equivalent at Level 8/10 of Pay Matrix, distributed as 03 posts per Regional Passport Office across 20 RPOs in India. The list of 20 RPOs is as per Annexure-II of the circular.

This is a deputation vacancy — only serving Central Government Officers are eligible. Applications from individuals not in Central Government service will not be considered. Only those applications that are complete in all aspects and forwarded through proper channel will be considered. While forwarding the applications, it must be verified and certified that particulars furnished by the officer are correct. It must also be confirmed that in the event of selection for appointment, the officer shall be relieved on immediate basis. Desirable Criteria

Desirable Criteria

The maximum age limit for appointment on deputation shall not exceed 56 years as on 01-01-2026. No minimum age has been specified — the officer must be a serving Central Government employee.

Pay and allowances for the deputation posting will be admissible as per the guidelines of Department of Personnel and Training's O.M. No. 6/8/2009-Estt. (Pay II) dated 17.06.2010 as amended from time to time.

Selection will be based on scrutiny of applications forwarded through proper channel. Only complete applications forwarded through the proper channel will be considered. While forwarding, the Head of Department must verify and certify that the particulars furnished by the officer are correct and confirm that if selected, the officer shall be relieved on immediate basis. It is mandatory to serve the full deputation term — premature relieving will not be considered except in rare or exceptional circumstances. Stage 1 - Application Forwarding through Proper Channel Interested officers must submit their application in the prescribed pro-forma (Annexure-I) through their Head of Department/Ministry/Cadre Controlling Authority. Applications not forwarded through proper channel will not be considered. Advance copies may be mailed to [email protected] — however, only applications forwarded throug

Since this is a deputation vacancy from Central Government, competition is limited to serving Central Government Officers at Level 8/10 of the Pay Matrix — a well-defined and relatively focused pool. With 60 vacancies across 20 RPOs spread pan-India, interested officers have the opportunity to express preference for up to 3 RPO stations. The desirable criteria strongly favour officers with prior experience in Sections dealing with Administration & Establishment, RTI, Finance, Audit, and public dealing — making CSS (Central Secretariat Service) officers and those from similarly structured Departments particularly well-placed. Officers with clean vigilance and service records and those who have handled passport or public services-related work will have an edge. The 2-year deputation period (extendable as per rules) and the mandatory requirement of serving the full term should be carefully

Officers who are not currently working in any Ministry/Department/Office of the Central Government — this is exclusively a deputation vacancy for serving Central Government employees; private sector or state government employees are not eligible. Officers who are not holding analogous posts in Level 8/10 of the Pay Matrix on a regular basis — ad hoc, temporary, or contract appointment holders are not eligible. Officers who have crossed 56 years of age as on 01-01-2026. Officers against whom disciplinary cases are pending or contemplated, or who have had major or minor penalties imposed in the last 10 years — the Head of Department certification is mandatory and such officers cannot be cleared. Officers whose Cadre Controlling Authority will not grant Cadre Clearance for the deputation. Officers who are not willing to be posted at any of the 20 RPO locations across India — the posting loc

This is a deputation vacancy — only serving Central Government Officers holding analogous posts in Level 8/10 of the Pay Matrix on regular basis are eligible. It is mandatory to serve the full deputation term. Premature relieving will not be considered except in rare or exceptional circumstances. Applications must be forwarded through proper channel — applications not sent through proper channel will not be considered. The forwarding Ministry/Department must verify and certify that particulars furnished by the officer are correct and must confirm that if selected, the officer shall be relieved on immediate basis. Only applications complete in all aspects will be considered — incomplete applications will be rejected. ACRs/APARs for the last 5 years must be duly attested on each page by a Group A Officer. Officers must state their preference of up to 3 RPO stations from the list of 20 in A